Don't swallow him!

Okay, so you can probably guess which story I went with tonight;).  Our van is waiting for a new part, that is supposed to arrive tomorrow.  That meant no prayer meeting for the kids and I tonight.  We did manage to have quite a bit of fun, even if we don't have picture proof.  I'm not as creative as Scott and didn't really plan ahead too much.  I thought, "Hmmm, we're having popcorn as a bedtime snack, If Garrison is the whale I don't really want him trying to eat a sibling pretending to be Jonah, although Caleb did volunteer.  Crazy kid didn't know what he was in for:)))).  So, Jonah was a piece of popcorn, the boat was a spare toy and into Garrison's mouth went Jonah(the popcorn guy), with the quick admonition not to swallow him.  I had to talk fast to get to the part about spitting him out on dry land. They LOVED that part. Soggy popcorn Jonah really needed a bath, but I figured that a bath would be the end of him, so let him go on in his filthy, germ ridden state after being spit out by Garrison:).  It must've been a success though, cause they requested Noah. I told them that we should save it for another night.  Maybe I'll actually plan this one out ahead of time, or not;).
  Today was pretty awesome!  The mommy maid got all her work done, with time to spare.  There was even some yummy sour cream coffee cake waiting for the hard working husband.  I gladly received my payment of a kiss:).  While bathing the girls I was talking to Elyssia about jobs.  She talks about being a nurse, but worries about all the schooling that she would have to go through.  She's very smart, but needs motivation sometimes.  I was talking about all the jobs you get to do as a mommy, but don't have to go to school for.  Some of the ones mentioned were cook, dishwasher, laundromat, only no one sticks quarters into us:), barber or hair stylist, nanny, nurse(for all those cuts and scrapes), and teacher(when homeschooling).  The beauty of it is that you don't have to go to school like all the people who want to do it for those outside their family.  I get the thrill of being a teacher without having to go to college for 4 years.  It's really a blessing all the variety of things we get to do over the course of our children's lives.  Some are sports coaches, shop teachers, counsellors, pastors, S.S. teachers, seamstresses, cake decorators, music teachers, skiing instructors, etc... The possibilities are endless.  The Lord has given me a fresh perspective lately and I'm very thankful for His guidance in our lives. At the end of our talk, Elyssia decided that she'd like to take cooking classes. I mentioned that it might be fun to go to some cake decorating classes together when she's a bit older.  She really liked that idea.  We're going to see about getting her into horse riding lessons sometime this month.  We'll see if it satisfies her interest in horses enough to stop begging for one.  Although, Scott was talking to the guy he works for today.  Scott seemed more open to the idea after that. We still have at least a year or two before it could happen though.  First, a tractor, then some fences, then the field's sown to grass.  Lots to do, with chickens and a few other animals purchased first.  I'll have to change my blog name to "Green Acres" pretty soon:))).
  On another note, the frogs are still alive!  They are doing amazingly well.  Preston gave Garrison a tank for Christmas and they seem to be really happy in there.  Someone accidentally let the crickets out shortly after he brought them, so I was collecting crickets for a couple days after we got back from Alberta.  Scott loves to watch the frogs hunt after putting the crickets in.  I'm just thankful to not have crickets hopping around in the house anymore.  There's always next summer...
  There was also a short trip outside this morning. Elyssia convinced Garrison to have a winter picnic.  They wanted to have it in their igloo, but there was quite a bit of snow to clear out, so they had it on the stoop outside our room. It was pretty cute, to see them huddling out there eating their sandwiches, with Sam, so excited that they were out with him for awhile.  Looking forward to Spring, whenever it comes and the hours of endless outdoor play.  Enjoying some of the aspects of it being winter too though.  Scott can take off a day here and there to just be with us and I have a good excuse to get under the warm covers with a good book and some cocoa.  I've started to regain a bit of an appetite and desire for baking, that totally disappeared with the flu.  It's a good thing too, especially since the kids are ready to devour anything in sight.  It's a nice way to warm up the house too!  So, tomorrow we'll work on blueberry muffins and maybe some cinnamon rolls.  I tend to do a lot of my bread baking on the same day, so we'll probably do some pizza dough, which is great for Friday's Family Night!  We haven't played that many board games lately, so we'll probably pull out a couple of those.  Scott and I need to practice up on Scrabble and Phase 10.  We're a bit rusty and I'm sure we'll be playing it with mom in Georgia.  Less than 60 days left to wait!!!
  I almost forgot something that happened tonight.  Kiersten has been a little out of sorts lately, which is very unusual for her.  Part is teething, part is having gotten used to more people carrying her around, she naturally expects that I'll continue to do the job that 6 were taking turns doing.  The past two days she's been screeching and attempting a fit.  Tonight she tried it when Scott was home.  He looked at her and said, "No fits, Kiersty!"  She looked at me, bottom lip stuck out and quivering and stopped the fit!"  It was so amazing:)  It used to make me really sad when I knew that I had disappointed my dad.  He just had to give me a look and I was in tears.  It seems that Kiersten might be the same way.  Oh, that she would have a soft heart towards us, instead of continuing to demand their own way.  It's something to pray for anyway, and I loved her response to her father.  She's very loving and I hope that never stops:).
  It's time to sign off for now.  I hear a good book calling my name...